Immigration Up, Illegal Migrants Down

Immigration to Israel appears headed for a 20 percent increase in 2019, while the number of illegal entries by asylum seekers has dropped to zero, according to figures  released on Monday by the Central Bureau of Statistics.

So far, from January to October of this year, 27,300 people immigrated to Israel. At that rate, the number should break 32,000 by the end of 2019.

There were also 3,500 “returning citizens.”

Russia was the largest contributor to the surge, with about 10,500 people, while 6,400 came from Ukraine, 2,400 from the United States and 2,400 from France.

At the same time, the influx of asylum seekers from Africa has dwindled—not a single one was recorded in 2018.

According to authorities, some 2,700 asylum seekers left the country in 2018. It said 33,600 migrants from Eritrea and Sudan remained in the country as of late 2018.

Some 85 percent of immigrants expressed satisfaction with their lives in Israel, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics research. By contrast, 92 percent of among other Israeli Jews told survey takers they were satisfied with their life.